The Visual Culture Essay -- Technology Internet Essays

The Visual Culture Over the past few decades, enhancements in the visual fields have greatly improved, giving weight on the importance of visual material in text. Something that is more visually stimulating can usually make a text more convincing or credible. The term â€Å"seeing is believing† proves this fact. As humans, we tend to believe something if we can actually see it, which is why Jay David Bolter has referred to this phenomenon of the changed role of text and graphics as the â€Å"visual culture† in his book Writing Space. â€Å"Mere words no longer seemed adequate; they had to share their space with images.† (Bolter, 69). As Bolter describes the visual culture that we are immersed in, in this day and age, he discusses various terms and components of this idea of the changed role of graphics and pictures. The idea is that a visual and a text are complementary to each other, however can coexist together or separately to interpret the same thing. â€Å"The main point is that the relationship between word and image is becoming increasingly unstable, and this instability is especially apparent in popular American magazines, newspapers, and various forms of graphic advertisements† (Bolter, 49), he says. An interesting idea that was brought up by Bolter is that of â€Å"picture writing,† which is the idea that the signs, symbols, pictures and stylized images comprise their own language allowing no language barriers. Even though the writer and reader many use words to interpret the picture, different people could interpret and explain the same message in different words and people who speak different languages can share the same system of picture writing. Since the Internet is such a visual space,... ...es using the images as a way of â€Å"enhancing and conveying meaning.† It’s really interesting to see the changes that technology has come to. The advancements in technology in just the past decade have been astounding. It’s hard to think that there really was life without high-speed Internet, e-mail, and AOL Instant Messenger. However, not only have there been so many advancements in technology, but also with it came advancements in the visual field, in that our culture and society became so much more driven with such a visual drive. Works Cited: Bolter, J.D. (2001). Writing Space: Computers, Hypertext, and the Remediation of Print. London, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. KAIROS: 7.2. Zeliner, M.â€Å"New Media and the Slow Death of the Written Word† http://english.ttu.edu/kairos/7.2/binder.html?sectionone/zeltner/NM. (March, 2004).

Metaphysical Conceit Essay -- English Literature

Metaphysical Conceit Metaphysical Conceita highly ingenious kind of conceit widely used by the metaphysical poets, who explored all areas of knowledge to find, in the startlingly esoteric or the shockingly commonplace, telling and unusual analogies for their ideas. Metaphysical conceits often exploit verbal logic to the point of the grotesque and sometimes achieve such extravagant turns on meaning that they become absurd (e.g. Richard Crashaw's description of Mary Magdalene's eyes as "Two walking baths; two weeping motions,/Portable and compendious oceans"). These conceits work best when the reader is given a perception of a real but previously unsuspected similarity that is enlightening; then they may speak to our minds and emotions with force. Examples of potential metaphysical conceits->love is like an oil change; love is like a postage stamp; love is like a pair of compasses; the soul of a sinner is like a damaged pot. As you can see, the temptation to be merely clever must be hard to resist, while the difficulty in making such a conceit truly effective is quite considerable. The Flea 1. Background: Étienne Pasquier and Catherine Desroches, 1579. Pseudo-Ovidian flea poems in which the lover wishes to become a flea in order to gain enhanced access to the beloved's charms; theme is often bestialization of the lover by his own passion. 2. Plot is simple: a) speaker points to a flea that has jumped from him to the woman and bites both; b) she has hunted down and caught the flea; speaker tries to dissuade her from killing it; c) she disregards his pleas and kills it. N.B. all the action occurs between the stanzas. Elaboration: he has argued that their being bitten by the flea is tantamount to ha... ...en the most moronic of women-unless she were as desirous of being convinced as the speaker is of convincing her-and this one is far from moronic. She is clearly not bewildered or dazzled by these arguments. The whole poem has the air of a little intellectual game indulged in by these two, both of them knowing what the outcome will be even if they don't quite know how the conclusion will be reached, and both enjoying the game for its own sake, rather than that of a serious attempt to lead someone astray. If the poem is read this way, the fact that the argument is false, is pure sophistry, is at least beside the point and can even become a strength-it is the interaction between the participants that is central. Donne (also Spenser, see 28, 29, 75, 54) frequently uses argument as a form of love-play and posits a woman who is an intellectual match for the man.

Post-conflict peacebuilding in Afghanistan

Afghanistan The aim of the following essay will be to evaluate the impact which the ISAF and peace-keeping efforts by the United Nations have had on the peacebuilding process in Afghanistan, following the US military intervention in Operation Enduring Freedom. Following two Anglo-Afghan wars, Afghanistan gained independence in 1919 and joined the League of Nations. Its example was followed by other states which gained independence from imperial domination and governance, which following the establishment of the United Nations resulted in the shaping of the contemporary geo-political order (Rubin, 2006). Afghanistan was built by the co-ordination of flows of foreign aid and when the aid flows were directed towards the sponsoring of opposing military forces, a civil war erupted, eventually leading to the collapse of the state as the flows of foreign aid were stopped (Rubin, 2002). For most of its known history, Afghanistan remained a heterogeneous and tribal state having multiple and conflicting l egal, cultural and political systems (Dupree, 2002; Simonsen, 2004). When the Soviet Union withdrew in Afghanistan in 1989, the Taliban gained supremacy within the state and the lack of consensus lead to the eruption of a civil war (Matinuddin, 1999). The period of 1992-1994 in Afghanistan was one of chaos and civil war, as the opposition factions failed to form an effective coalition government, thus leading to a civil war (Coll, 2004; Maley, 2009). In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the US and a Coalition of other states to initiate a ‘war on terror’, a result of the Taliban’s refusal to cooperate in the apprehension of Al Qaeda’s leader Bin Laden (Rubin, 2013). Following the re-capturing of the capital by the Allied forces and the dispersal of the Taliban, the foundations of Afghanistan’s re-structuring were set out in the UN Bonn Agreement (UN, 2001). In summary, it set out the path for a transition towards a western-style consti tutional democracy with significant emphasis being placed on human rights, social justice and gender equality (Nesiah, 2004). ISAF Mission Following Operation Enduring Freedom and the liberation of the capital Kabul, the UN Security council passed Resolution 1386 with which it layered the foundations of the ISAF, which was deployed initially in Kabul. The ISAF was set to operate in close cooperation with the both the UN and the Afghan government whilst working the country’s reconstruction and the training of its security personnel (ISAF, 2014). Its key participation in the reconstruction process was manifested by the establishment of Provisional Reconstruction Teams in provinces in the northern and western parts of the country (ibid.) Initially, ISAF’s mandate was constrained to providing security in the capital city, but following the UN Resolution 1510 in 2003, its mandate was expanded so as to provide security throughout the country’s territory (ISAF, 2014a). The International Security Assistance Force is representative of all NATO member state countries and over the years has been b roadened so as to include troops from non-member states such as Australia and New Zealand (ISAF, 2014b). The activities of the ISAF and its mission objective can considered in line with strategies utilised for state-building and peace-making (Rose-Ackerman, 2001). During its mandate from 2001 onwards, the ISAF has been established as the main provider of national security within the country, whilst at the same time training the newly formed Afghan National Army (ANA) and the Afghan National Police (ANP) (ISAF, 2014). In addition to providing security on a national scale, the ISAF has been actively involved in the demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration (DDR) of rogue militants, thus enabling the state to claim monopoly over violence (NATO, 2013). Until the expiry of its mandate at the end of 2014, the ISAF will continue to help the transitional state to train its own security forces as part of international efforts to ensure stability within the country and ensure that a peace ful transition from the civil war onto a more democratic pathway of governance is achieved. Evaluating ISAF Defining both ‘success’ and ‘failure’ in peacekeeping missions is a difficult task due to lack of consensus with regards to their definition (Druckman et al. 1997; Bellamy and Williams, 2005). It has also been suggested that peacekeeping is more likely to succeed in more developed states and in countries where the death toll is minimal (Fortna, 2004). If one is to use the latter framework, then all efforts in Afghanistan are likely to be in vain. More recent research has identified six factors which appear to be of significant relevance: the successful deployment of available resources, overlap of interest among key stakeholders, emphasis on continuous conflict regulation, external cooperation as well as recognising the specific environment in which the conflict has taken place (Wolff and Dursun-Ozkanca, 2012). In the case of Afghanistan however, the US-led invasion had no clear strategies for a state-building process (Ayub and Kouvo, 2008). As a result, the initial focus on the ‘war on terror’ lacked a clear direction at it failed to provide a clear division between short-term goals of pacifying the terrorist threat and the longer-term peace-building process within the country (ibid). The invasion of Afghanistan was not about promoting security bur rather reducing the spreading sense of insecurity in the US (Nesiah, 2004).The state-building process that followed had no clear goals and was characterised by competing paradigms, as well as incompatible agendas (Weinberger, 2002; Rubin, 2006; Suhrke, 2012). It can be argued that the Taliban resurgence in 2005 and consequent lack of security in the country precluded any substantial democratization effort. However, this ignores the causal relationship between the two: failure of the political process, and an incoherent US/NATO military strategy, which provided the vacuum and space necessary for the Taliban and other counter-systemic actors to establish and expand their influenc e in the country (Suhrke, 2008). Linked to the incoherent military strategy is the limited impact of the DDR process that was to strengthen the position of the ISAF (Reynolds, 2006; Saikal, 2012). The expansion of ISAF outside of Kabul also played a significant part in the escalation of the conflict (Suhrke, 2011). The escalating war ratcheted up the demand for rapid and visible results, both within Afghanistan and from domestic audiences in the contributing countries. To deliver quick and visible results, the interveners adopted measures that undermined basic precepts of state-building and by extension its contribution to peacebuilding. In order to rapidly create Afghan military capacity, for example, the international forces started rearming the militias (Lefevre, 2010). A large amount of resources were diverted towards training the ANA, whereas the lack of training for the ANP produced problems for the ISAF, mainly in terms of corruption and human rights abuses (Beljan, 2013). Th e establishment of PRTs throughout the country was seen as the solution for providing security and reconstruction at the same time (ibid.). However, their activity was characterised by lack of clear objectives, lack of a clear commanding structure and lack of resources (Sedra, 2005). This lack of coherence is not only characteristic of the PRTs themselves, but rather to the lack of a clear strategy for the operation of ISAF (Sperling and Webber, 2012), as the establishment of security needs to run parallel to economic development as part of restructuring efforts. As it was noted, the availability of resources for peacebuilding has a significant impact on the successful resolution of a violent conflict. Yet, the large flows of unconditioned aid are said to re-create the environment in which the civil war in the 1990s erupted and evolved (Goodhand and Sedra, 2007). Afghanistan is also a challenging case for the study and application of peace conditionalities, as the Bonn Agreement its elf only legitimised a ‘victor’s peace’, leaving the Taliban quite potent. Secondly, the dual nature of the process should be emphasised – building peace in a climate of ongoing war. The approach adopted by the Alliance forces, to create a security force whilst at the same time failing to provide an institution that is to be responsible for its management is yet another reflection of the prioritisation of short-term goals over peace-making and state-building in the longer term (Sedra, 2005). Although reconstruction has been a top priority and used as a political platform during the first parliamentary elections (Wilder, 2005), the international spending has emphasised security over reconstruction (Rubin, Hamidzada and Stoddard, 2003). The long-standing conflict itself has resulted in the development of a war economy (Felbab-Brown, 2005; Fielden and Goodhand, 2001) in which it is difficult for the emerging democratic state to claim monopoly over violence. F acing considerable historical and institutional constraints, the UN Assistance mission in Afghanistan, a part of which is ISAF, has found it difficult to implement its ambitious democratisation mandate (Tadjbakhsh and Schoiswohl, 2008; Saikal, 2012). In conclusion, despite ISAF has achieved some successes in the training of Afghanistan’s security forces and improving security (Beljan, 2013), it is difficult to claim to the mandate and goals which were set as its main tasks have been achieved. Over the period of reconstruction the country has been relying on foreign aid for the maintenance of its structures, it is still a fragile state on the brink of re-emerging conflict, as there is still a lack of a clear political settlement among the different interest parties in the country. Bibliography Ayub, F. and Kuovo, S. (2008). Righting the courseHumanitarian intervention, the war on terror and the future of Afghanistan. International Affairs, 84(4), 641-657. Beljan, R. (2013). Afghanistan: Lessons Learned from an ISAF Perspective. Journal Article| May, 30(2), 30am. Available at: http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/afghanistan-lessons-learned-from-an-isaf-perspective Bellamy, A. J., & Williams, P. D. (2005). Who’s keeping the peaceRegionalization and contemporary peace operations. International Security, 29(4), 157-195. Coll, S. (2004). Ghost wars: The secret history of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet invasion to September 10, 2001. New York: Penguin. Druckman, D., Stern, P. C., Diehl, P., Fetherston, A. B., Johansen, R., Durch, W., & Ratner, S. (1997). Evaluating peacekeeping missions. Mershon International Studies Review, 151-165. Dupree, N. H. (2002). Cultural heritage and national identity in Afghanistan. Third World Quarterly, 23(5), 977-989. Felbab?Brown, V. (2005). Afghanistan: when counternarcotics undermines counterterrorism. Washington Quarterly, 28(4), 55-72. Fielden, M., & Goodhand, J. (2001). Beyond the TalibanThe Afghan conflict and United Nations peacemaking. Conflict, Security & Development, 1(03), 5-32. Fortna, V. P. (2004). Does peacekeeping keep peaceInternational intervention and the duration of peace after civil war. International studies quarterly, 48(2), 269-292. Goodhand, J., & Sedra, M. (2007). Bribes or bargainsPeace conditionalities and ‘post-conflict’reconstruction in Afghanistan. International Peacekeeping, 14(1), 41-61. ISAF (2014). Mission. Available at: http://www.isaf.nato.int/mission.html ISAF (2014a). History. Available at: http://www.isaf.nato.int/history.html ISAF (2014b) Troop Numbers and Contributions. Available at: http://www.isaf.nato.int/troop-numbers-and-contributions/index.php Lefevre, M. (2010). Local Defence in Afghanistan. A Review of Government-backed Initiatives. Kabul: Afghanistan Analysts Network. Maley, W. (2009). The Afghanistan Wars. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Matinuddin, K. (1999). The Taliban Phenomenon in Afghanistan 1994-1995. Oxford: Oxford University Press. NATO (2013). ISAF’s Mission in Afghanistan. Available at: http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_69366.htm Nesiah, V. (2004). From Berlin to Bonn to Baghdad: a space for infinite justice. Harv. Hum. Rts. J., 17, 75. Reynolds, A. (2006). The curious case of Afghanistan. Journal of Democracy, 17(2), 104-117. Rose-Ackerman, S. (2001). Trust, honesty, and corruption: reflection on the state-building process. European Journal of Sociology, 42, 27-71. Rubin, B. R. (2002). The fragmentation of Afghanistan: State formation and collapse in the international system. Yale University Press. Rubin, B. R. (2006). Peace Building and State-Building in Afghanistan: constructing sovereignty for whose security?. Third World Quarterly, 27(1), 175-185. Rubin, B. R. (2013). Afghanistan from the Cold War through the War on Terror. Oxford University Press. Rubin, B. R., Hamidzada, H., & Stoddard, A. (2003). Through the Fog of Peace Building: Evaluating the Reconstruction of Afghanistan. Center on International Cooperation, New York University. Saikal, A. (2012). The UN and Afghanistan: Contentions in Democratization and Statebuilding. International Peacekeeping, 19(2), 217-234. Sedra, M. (2005). Civil-military relations in Afghanistan: The provincial reconstruction team debate. Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies. Simonsen, S. G. (2004). Ethnicising Afghanistan?: inclusion and exclusion in post?Bonn institution building. Third World Quarterly, 25(4), 707-729. Sperling, J., & Webber, M. (2012). NATO’s Intervention in the Afghan Civil War. Civil Wars, 14(3), 344-372. Suhrke, A. (2008). A contradictory missionNATO from stabilization to combat in Afghanistan. International Peacekeeping, 15(2), 214-236. Suhrke, A. (2011). When more is less: the international project in Afghanistan. New York: Columbia University Press. Suhrke, A. (2012). Waging War and Building Peace in Afghanistan. International Peacekeeping, 19(4), 478-491. Tadjbakhsh, S., & Schoiswohl, M. (2008). Playing with fireThe international community’s democratization experiment in Afghanistan. International Peacekeeping, 15(2), 252-267. United Nations (2001) Bonn Agreement. Available at: http://peacemaker.un.org/afghanistan-bonnagreement2001 Weinberger, N. (2002). Civil-military coordination in peacebuilding: the challenge in Afghanistan. Journal of International Affairs-Columbia University, 55(2), 245-276. Wilder, A. R. (2005). A House Divided?: Analysing the 2005 Afghan Elections. Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit. Wolff, S., & Dursun-Ozkanca, O. (2012). Regional and International Conflict Regulation: Diplomatic, Economic and Military Interventions. Civil Wars, 14(3), 297-323.

Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” the Peter Brooke version (1960) and the Harry Hook Essay

A media study comparing two cinematic interpretations of Golding’s â€Å"Lord of the Flies† the Peter Brooke version (1960) and the Harry Hook version (1990). These two interpretations of William Golding’s â€Å"The Lord of the Flies† have been directed by Peter Brooke in 1960’s and then Harry Hook’s version in the 1990’s. The original, black and white, version stays far closer to the book storyline altering only the slightest things. Peter Brooke keeps the boys from a public English school with strict rules about behaviour and uniform. The main idea behind the story is to see, just how long these boys will keep rules and order now that they have no one to enforce them upon them. It’s to see, just how long they will live with this civilised and orderly world, before they turn to the savage and more primitive world. In Harry Hook’s version, the story has been changed a great deal. The main difference is the boys themselves are now Americans from an American military school. Harry Hook has brought the film right up to date and more modern. The main reason for changing the boys to American, I believe, is because of tickets sales. Far more people would want to see these boys than English boys, partly because many people wouldn’t understand the English boys’ accent. Another major change Harry Hook has added is the role of the pilot. In the book and Peter Brooke’s version, the pilot is dead upon encountering the island on top of the mountain in the middle of the island with the tangled parachute, rapped around him, to make him look more like a beast. However, in Harry Hook’s Colour version, he has kept the pilot alive, with Ralph, one of the main boys, saving him from drowning at the start. Later on, he then dies up in a cave on the mountain, making him appear to be a beast. I think that Harry Hook’s version is more effective and believable to a modern viewer like me because if we look at a person wrapped in a parachute it wouldn’t appear to be a beast or anything like that. I believe in the 60’s people were far easier scared than what we are today. Also Harry Hook has touched up the film a bit by adding more technology into it, like the glow sticks or the pyrotechnics of the burning island. These changes he’s added make it easier for modern viewers to understand. I belief Harry Hook has been successful in creating a more updated and modern film. The opening scenes and sequences to both these films are very effective in their own ways. They both use different techniques of camera shots and angles and different audio and soundtracks and different way of putting across the message of what has just happen to this group of boys. In Peter Brooke’s version he runs through a series of images resembling certain things about the civilised world and what they are about to al leave behind. First of all he show images of some class rooms with lecturers at the front, dictating what appears to be maths and Latin. These symbolise rules and order, maths with all the rules and Latin with a very orderly structure to the language. He is trying to put across how the boys used to live before the plane crash. He also shows images of a cricket match showing more rules and the idea of fair play and all working together as a team. The quire is also introduced into these images representing harmony and peace. Peter Brooke then starts flicking in images of war, like the planes, tanks, bombs and troops. He is trying to show just how bad things are about to get. Peter Brooke has all the boys in these images dressed up smartly in there uniform. This again represents order. He is putting across to the viewers just how much the boys are going to loose and how far the boys are willing to stray from civilisation. The quire, which he also introduces, is also dressed up in these very smart and fine black robes. Peter Brooke has got them all dressed this way to show they are all together as a team and are all united in peace. When Peter Brooke has these war images introduced to the credits the intensity of the soundtrack is increases, adding this drum beat in the background. The very same drum beat is reintroduced later on in the film to show that civilisation has finally fallen apart completely. I this worked very well, reintroducing this intense drum beat because you then are able to relate the drums to war and uncivilised behaviour which is a very important theme to the whole film. In Harry Hook’s version, he has decided to put these images across in a very different way, but still, he’s very effective in doing so. His first shot is of the pilot sinking down the screen under water, until Ralph dives down and rescues him. Everything is silent underwater, until they hit the surface then is a burst of screams and shouts from the other boys. He’s trying to make it look and feel like the boys are being reborn. The sea is representing the old world and blue representing an empty or neutral colour and everything has been wiped clean suggesting everything has been wiped clean and they are starting life over, rebirth. Ralph is the first to be briefly introduced, which is also before the title credits. He dives down into the sea, rescuing the pilot, and then again, diving down rescuing the life boat which saves all the boys. The pilot is a good symbol of the old world and how it’s slowly disappearing and slipping out of their grips. Harry Hook is immediately trying to show, Ralph as the one who wants the old world to come back, her wants to hold on to the old world and save it. Underwater, it has been deliberately made silent to try and contrast the two worlds and show how completely different they are. This worked very well for the film. The title is then brought up onto the screen against a black background with the films theme tune. In my opinion, I feel this has worked better than Peter Brooke’s opening credits because there’s more drama and suspense about, whether these boys are actually going to survive in the water and what they will do. Also it is easier to read the opening credits against a black background, rather than have to focus on what’s going on in the background as well as read the credits. In both of the films they then start to introduce the main characters, starting mainly with Ralph, closely followed by Ralph and Piggy two. Both directors have decided to focus mainly on these three characters at the beginnings. Each one of these has also been singled out and is noticed by a very distinguishing feature. In Peter Brooke’s film, Ralph is noticeable because he has kept all his uniform on, whereas most the others have started to take items off, whereas, in Harry Hook’s film Ralph is given a sling. Giving Ralph this sling makes him stand out a great deal from all the other boys. In both the films, Piggy just looks completely different from all the other boys. He’s short, fat and has glasses. Piggy is also the most mature out of the group and can see a lot more clearly about what’s going to happen to them. His glasses are a symbol of the old world; they enable him to see things clearer than what the other boys can. He is also able to blind him self from the truth if he doesn’t like it or danger by taking them off. If he knows trouble is going to happen, he generally takes them off to clean or something. Finally there’s Jack. In Peter Brooke’s version he is the head chorister of the quire and then in the Harry Hook version he is first seen with no jacket on. Jack is the first boy in both films to remove all his clothes and becomes the chief of the tribe, which is created later on in the film. I think again Harry Hook has been more successful in singling out the main characters of the film. When first viewing the island, both directors have kept it in black or a silhouette against the sky. They keep it in this format to symbolise mystery and uncertainty about things to come. When all the boys are sailing into the island, in Harry Hook’s version, the main point he is trying to portray is all the boys are altogether as one group. No individuals and no one have any identity yet. They’re all in black against the blue sea representing the old world, with no characteristics trying to show they are still together and united as one group, coming from the old world of civilisation. This is done differently in Peter Brooke’s version because they are all assembled together on the beach but the same points are still made. I feel Harry Hook made this scene better too because all the characters no each other and can be classed as a group, whereas Peter Brooke’s boys didn’t no each other and have to find out who each boy is at the beginning. When Ralph saves the pilot in the colour film, it shows that he still clutches to this old world and wants it back. The boys wrap the pilot in a mosquito net and treat him like a child, I feel Harry Hook is trying to show the roles have now been reverse and the adult is now this child or baby and the boys are the adults. When the boys are in the big group on the beach, Ralph starts with a green glow stick, the green symbolising fear and loneliness. The camera angles in both films are mainly all in medium shot while introducing the boys, so you can get a good look at all the boys and work out first impressions for yourself. It also has a few close-ups on the main characters to show these are the one’s that’ll make a difference. The boys soon discover that the island isn’t that bad, by finding water and wild pig’s for food. In both films, all the boys are working together to show they are still this team but some of the boys have already started to get annoyed by piggy and mock his name. Both directors establish the island in more detail and show it’s a small island. For Ralph, this island is a dream come true or a paradise for him. Yet again, I feel Harry Hook has captured this better by introducing this gigantic water pool they find in the middle of the forest, where all the boys drink from and play in. Ralph can’t get enough of this paradise, golden sun, sandy beaches, warm and clear water, but best of all, there is no adults to enforce any rules upon them but he soon starts to wish there were adults. This soon becomes a nightmare and a burning hell. Piggy is the first boy to realise this and what will happen, so he goes back to the water, in hope to find someway of brings back the old world and what he finds is the conch. This allows them to keep some rules and order with the other boys but this doesn’t last very long and it not long, before a lot of the boys start to rebel against all these rules and start to realise they aren’t going to be rescued so make the most of it. When Ralph and Piggy are first introduced in to Peter Brooke’s version, they are frantically struggling through the undergrowth of the forest floor, in an attempt to gain access to the sea once again and the old world. I don’t think this scene is capture very well, not because of camera angles or soundtrack because I feel they worked very well, having all the bugs and animal noises in the background, but because of Hugh Edwards, the boy who played Piggy. I feel he didn’t relate into the character as well as the new Piggy, Dan iel Pipoly. This has let the film down but it was still a very good film, putting across all the main points. Soon the fire is introduced which is a huge symbol of power and nature. As the film progresses the fire’s symbol changes. First off it starts off as power of nature and stands for rescue but later on it is used for cooking and hunting. The first fire the boys set goes horrible wrong and out of control very rapidly. The directors here are trying to give us a glimpse of things to come like disaster. All the boys are still together at this pint and work together to put the fire out, except Piggy who is isolated and alone. Piggy is shot through the fire showing he hasn’t got long left and he knows it. Piggy’s specs are also a great aspect and an important feature of the film because these start the fire. Piggy can’t see without them so when there is danger, he uses this to his advantage and takes them off, blinding him from the truth. With the fire lit the boys now start to get out of control and start almost a tribal dance, Piggy is again deliberately shot outside the group, showing he is already being left out. Piggy knows this and he knows what is going to happen. In the colour version, Harry Hook, has added a single tree standing alone, next to the fire. This is completely burnt down and incinerated. This tree symbolised innocence which has now gone, destroyed and crashed down. This again shows the power of nature and things to come. Probably the main or key scene, of the film is when Simon, the first to be killed and realise the truth about the beast, is killed. This is the key point where finally the boys are divided and both groups head off in completely different directions. Once Simon has been killed, nothing could ever be the same. Once Jack, has finally become more like a native and so primitive, he’s killed once and is willing to kill again. Ralph and Piggy now realise they are the only ones with any sense left and know if they aren’t rescued soon, they too will be killed. The sequences leading up to Simon’s death introduce the face paints and body paints, acting like masks, where the boys can hide behind. Once the boys have these paints they are hidden from everything and are able to commit far more serious crimes, like murder. On both films, Simon sits in front of the sacrifice, or the pig’s head, which Jack has placed for the beast, just staring with no expression or emotion, just trying to work out what actually is going on. In Peter Brooke’s version he has nothing but the buzzing of flies in the background to show it’s the flies eating away the flesh and meat of the head, not a beast. Simon figures it out and goes up to the mo9untain to check what he believes and finds the dead pilot in both versions. Simon has a lot more sense than the other boys and can see that there isn’t a beast, but the beast that they fear is inside of them all. The camera’s keep switching between the beach, where Jack and his tribe are dancing around a fire, in a very primitive and savage way, pretending to do rituals where they chase a boy round the fire who is pretending to be the pig, or the beast which builds up tension for when Simon is actually killed, it also gives the film a lot more co nfusion to show the boys aren’t to sure what is going on. Each time the screen is switched from Simon to Jack and his tribe, it’s getting darker and every time it gets darker the tribe are getting far more wild and aggressive. The sound of crashing waves against rocks is introduced to the backing music to show there is a war going on between these two worlds. A few boys start throwing the fire into the water, rejecting the old world. Both films captured these sequences very well and all this helps built up tension, suspense and fear before Simon’s death. Simon races down to the beach to tell the other boys his discovery. By now it’s really dark, the night has drawn in and the only light is the central fire where all the boys are dancing round and racing round after a pretend pig. Ralph and Piggy are still shot out of the group though because they can sense something bad is going to happen before the night is over. When Simon is spotted, there is a big question mark on whether Jack actually knew it was Simon and had him deliberately killed or he genuinely thought it was the beast. This question arises because Simon keeps the boys in his tribe by fear of the beast and by threatening them. He goes on about how his hunter will protect him from the beast, but if the truth is revealed, that there is no beast, not many of the boys would actually follow Jack. Harry Hook, in my opinion again, has captured this scene very well. It was a good effect, having a camera track Simon down the beach and have him running, with this green glow stick. The glow stick gives him a more monstrous appearance and makes the accidental killing storyline more believable to viewers. After the boys back away and realise what they’ve done, the sea comes rolling up the beach once more. The sea representing the old world comes crawling up the beach and wraps around Simon, now taking him back to this old world. Peter Brooke captures this very well, giving it a religious appearance by having the stars sparkling reflection upon the water shore and the quire in the backing music. This makes it feel like a religious ceremony. I think the point Peter Brooke was trying to put across was Simon was a martyr, dying trying to reveal the truth about the beast. Once the boys have committed this, there is no going back. This scene is the very turning point of the play, where Jack, finally, has total power and all the boys except Piggy and Ralph have turned so primitive. Jack has now painted his whole body with these paints in tribal markings which singles him out as the leader of the tribe. Also the original uniforms, which were a symbol of the old world, have now been taken over by these markings, and the new world. Ralph and Piggy have both lost all hope in rescue and know if t hey stay here it’ll be there turn soon enough. An additional scene Harry Hook has added into his version is the dream sequence where Ralph is dreaming about them all being rescued and saved when, suddenly, the helicopter just bursts into flames and explodes in Ralph’s face. Here Harry Hook is trying to emphasize the point that Ralph and Piggy are giving up hope on getting rescued and it is getting more and more less likely for them to get rescued. However I don’t think this was a very good idea because all it does is confuse the viewer. In the last scene, where Ralph is being hunted down in the forest by the hunters in there new natural habitat, the directors for both films have concentrated greatly upon creating the ending with so much suspense and tension and excitement as they could possibly get. Harry Hook has Ralph go speak to Sam and Eric the night before the hunters attack on Ralph to confirm what Ralph thinks will happen. He calls them Jack’s slaves. The whole area surrounding them is in this dark blue showing Ralph is lost within the darkness and can’t find away out, but needs to soon. By going up to Sam and Eric, Ralph is testing their loyalty to him and to see just how primitive they have got, to see if they have any civil behaviour at all left in them. He wants to see if they are just another tribal unit. Peter Brooke didn’t add this scene in which again, I feel, lets the film down slightly. This part explains the film more clearly to viewers. Both Harry Hook and Peter Brooke, have Ralph awaken in the forest, lost and alone, only to hear the sounds of birds, insects and small creatures. He then starts to hear the quiet cries of the hunters calling to each other, like a pack of animals; this again shows just how primitive the other boys have become. Suddenly the sound of burning is brought into the background. The camera shows close ups on Ralph’s face, trying to capture his fear. When Ralph realises the hunters are coming after him, he jumps up and runs as fast and as far as he can. He doesn’t know where he is going though, he’s trapped on the island, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The camera tracks Ralph through the forest and every where he runs. Peter Brooke has Ralph literally crawling on his hands and knees through the forest, sprawling through the undergrowth of the forest floor. He is trying to suggest the Ralph has now become this Pig and is being hunted. This works very well and gives another glimpse to just how far the boys have gone. When Ralph is running through the forest, the directors have both chosen to shoot a reverse shot on Ralph. This is when in the one minute he’s running to the right, then the next he’s going to the left. They have done this to show just how lost and confused Ralph is, showing he has nowhere to run. Usually this is seen as a weakness in films, but I feel it worked well for this film and gave it more suspense. It also enables the directors to show more fear within Ralph, having him know he doesn’t know where the hunters are, but they are on the island somewhere. They also both do panning shots of Ralph, running past the camera. In Harry Hook’s version, because of the 30years of advances in technology, he is able to use pyrotechnics at the end on the burning island, which I believe, gives the film more suspense, it shows the island burning, resembling the island has now become this hell. Peter Brooke wasn’t able to do this in his interpretation of the lord of the flies because they didn’t have the technology so they just used smoke which didn’t work as well for me. After scrambling through the forest, Ralph eventually stumbles upon the beach and in front of a navel officer. Both films jump from images of the hunters, all in these rags and paints, then to the naval officer, all in uniform, all perfect and orderly. Both directors are trying to sum up, just how far the boys had finally gone and strayed away from civilisation. Peter Brooke has done this exceptionally well. He picks out one boy who, at the beginning of the film could remember his name, address and telephone number but now can’t even speak. He just walks up to the officer and is speechless; he opens his mouth to talk but can’t remember anything. This again underlines have far the boys have gone. The final images you get in Peter Brookes version is the burning island, which has now become this burning hellish nightmare. He also gives you images of Ralph’s face. The camera shot is a close up to see the emotion this ordeal has put him through. Overall, I feel Harry Hook’s version was better, purely because of the advances in technology like colour. Also the use of language and swearing makes it easier for a modern viewer to interpret it. I believe the script editor has done a great job and fits the story in well and keeps it up to date with technology, which in turn make the whole film more believable and interesting.

Case 6: the Financial Detective

Case 6 : The Financial Detective Financial data is the most crucial information in describing any sort of business, but this information is also useful in differentiating between different types of businesses. In any specific industry, many key players are present, yet their strategies and implementations of business vary greatly. Two firms may achieve the same earned profit, yet go about securing this profit in radically different ways . A close analysis of financial data for each business can be used to understand and explain these different strategies employed by a given company and how that strategy affects the financial performance of each company. This case calls for the examination of two different companies within the same field and, through analysis of selected financial information, determining which set of data belongs to which company based on the different characteristics and strategies employed by each company. The results of this analysis are as follows. Health Products The two companies listed here manufacture and market health care products. The first is the world’s largest prescription-pharmaceutical company containing a broad pipeline of ethical pharmaceuticals backed by significant research and development, which has recently divested many of its non-related business holdings and is considered the partner of choice in terms of licensing agreements. The second company is a diversified health-products company that manufactures and mass markets a broad line of pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter drugs, health and beauty products and medical devices. Brand development and management is key to this company. Company A is the more diversified company, while Company B is the world’s largest pharmaceutical company. A major signifier here is the intangible assets owned by Company B, 46. 1 vs. 22. 2, which would explain the patents and licensing deals mentioned in the company description, as well as the robust research and development budget. Another major clue here is in the inventory turnover. Company A, well-diversified with a mass-market strategy, turns over their inventory 3. 8 times vs. .93 of company B, which is to be expected of a mass-market company intent of volume sales to consumers. Beer Two brewers of beer are described here, the first being a national brewer of mass-market consumer beers sold under a variety of brand names who also owns a number of beer-related businesses and several major theme parks. The second is a smaller brewery with smaller production volume and higher prices that outsources most of its brewing activity. The firm is also mentioned to be financially conservative and has recently undergone major cost-saving initiatives. Company C is the national brewer while company D is the small market brewery. A major key here is understanding that company D is described as financially conservative, which helps explain the large amount of cash and short-term investments (55. 6) that they keep on hand, while also holding no long-term debt. A large, national company like C would be expected to carry some debt in order to finance such large operations. Also, as C operates an extensive network of breweries and distributorships, while also owning beer-related businesses and theme parks, it would follow that their net fixed assets would be quite large (54. 7) compared to the relatively smaller D (16). Computers The two companies described here sell computers and related equipment. One company focuses exclusively on mail-order sales of built-to-order PCs and devices and is an assembler of PC components manufactured by suppliers. The other company sells a highly differentiable line of computers and accessories and has recently begun to recover from a dramatic decline in its market share. The firm has an aggressive retail strategy intended to drive traffic through its stores and expand its installed base of customers. Company E is the online retailer, while Company F is the retailer. As E is an assembler of parts supplied by a manufacturer, their manufacturing is essentially outsourced, which accounts for the higher cost of goods sold (81) as well as the higher amount of accounts payable, as they consume more supplies in order to assemble their products. As well, since company F is a bricks & mortar retailer as opposed to an online vendor, F has had to adopt and aggressive retail strategy that requires advertising their products and stores and employees in which to sell their products, which accounts for the relatively higher SGA expense (23. 1). Books and Music Of the two companies profiled here, the first focuses its sales based on a vast retail-store presence. This company is the leader of traditional book retailing, and also maintains an online presence and owns a publishing imprint. The other company sells books and music solely through its web site. Media is the majority of their sales, but they also sell electronics and other merchandise, and the company has only recently become profitable due to an aggressive strategy of acquiring related online businesses. Company G is the online retailer while company H is the traditional seller. G reaches customers solely through the internet, and besides various warehouses used for shipping it would have no need to keep large fixed assets, which explains why their net fixed assets (7. 6) are significantly lower than the traditional seller (24. 4), who requires the retail outlets needed to reach their customers. Along these lines, as H is a traditional seller of goods, their inventories (38. 6) are bound to be much higher, as their retail outlets need to remain stocked rather than ordering as needed like G would. This explains G’s higher cost of goods sold due to not needing to buy in bulk. Paper The companies listed here are both paper manufacturers. The first company is the world’s largest maker of paper and paper products, who also owns timberland, numerous paper-related facilities and a paper-distribution network. The company has spent the last few years closing inefficient mills, implementing cost-containment initiatives and selling nonessential assets. The other firm is a small producer of specialty papers as well as towel and tissue products. Most of the company’s products are marketed under branded labels and the company purchases the wood fiber used in the paper making process. Company I is the larger firm while company J is the smaller firm. The first clue to this conclusion is the amount of long-term debt company I is carrying (41. 3) compared to company J (18. 3). As we know that the larger firm has spent the last few years reorganizing and attempting to cut costs, it would make sense that these initiatives were taken because of high company debt. Along this line, I’s total debt/total assets is much higher (42. 8), which would also help to explain the cost-containment initiatives needed. Also, I’s cost of goods sold (75. 3) is lower than J’s (82. 9), most likely due to their ownership of supply companies and J’s decision to buy theor wood fiber on the open market. Hardware and Tools These two companies manufacture and sell hardware and tools. The first company is a global manufactur er and marketer of power tools and power-tool accessories that sells primarily to retailers and distributors with the branded products intended to reach the average consumer. The other company manufactures and markets high-quality tools for professional users, offering a broad range of products sold through its own technical representatives and mobile franchise dealers. The company also provides financing for franchisees and customers’ large purchases. Company K is the global manufacturer while company L is the professional tool manufacturer. The first major hint here is the SGA expense for each company. Company L’s expense (38. 9) is significantly higher because of their use of technical representatives and mobile franchises that they themselves provide financing for. As well, company L’s gross profit (48. ) is significantly higher, most likely due to the higher prices they are able to charge due to the precision and quality of their professional-minded tools. Retailing These two companies are both large discount retailers. The first firm carries a wide variety of nationally advertised general merchandise and is known for low prices and its volume-orientated strategy. Most of its stores are leased near the company’s network of distribution centers and the company plans to expand. The second company is a rapidly growing chain of upscale discount stores that attempts to match other retailers’ prices and offers deep discounts. The company has partnerships with many leading designers and offers credit to qualified customers. Company M is the general merchandiser while company N is the upscale discount store. As mentioned in the description, company N is known for providing credit to boost sales, and thus this extended credit appears in their receivables (17), as opposed to M (1. 4). Also, company N’s gross profit and profit margins are higher, as their strategy isn’t based on volume sales (make smaller profit but sell way more) like company M is. Newspapers The companies listed here both own newspapers. The first is a diversified media company that generates most of its revenues through newspapers sold throughout the country and around the world. The company has large central controls and competes fiercely for subscribers and advertising revenues. The company also recently built a large office building for its headquarters. The second company owns a number of small community newspapers throughout the south and mid-west. The firm essentially holds a portfolio of small local monopolies and has a significant amount of goodwill on its balance sheet. The company’s success is hinged on decentralized decision making and administration. Company O is the Midwestern Company, while Company P is the well-diversified company. The description mentions how company P is forced to fiercely compete, which would surely raise their SGA expense (39. 7) as compared to company O (23). This is also true considering company O’s emphasis on decentralized management and administration, which affects the SGA expense. Also, P recently built and owns a large office building, which would add to their net fixed assets (34. 6) compared to company O’s (14. 1).

Applying Psychology to Homelessnes Essay

Housing is a basic human want and plays an important role in ensuring the well-being children and adults. Stable housing is a necessary need for positive child and youth development in society. Although proper housing is essential for human biological and social development, statistics have shown a rising cases of homeless families with children in recent years because of inadequate affordable houses (The United States Conference of Mayors, 2006). Homelessness is a complicated socioeconomic issue with several economic and social factors underlying it. The socioeconomic factors include; poverty, inadequate affordable housing, some biological and mental ill health, community disintegration and family breakdown. These are the factors which in combinations, would contribute to the frequency, and type of homelessness (The United States Conference of Mayors, 2006). Homeless means to live without proper shelter; many people experience partial homelessness by living in uncertain, temporary, and sub-standard shelters. Homelessness has become national disaster in some countries. Some of the biological causes of homelessness are mental ill health (The United States Conference of Mayors, 2006). Due to the hard circumstances that befall homeless people throughout their lives, statistics have shown that there are higher rates of mental illness affecting this population. During the year 2008 survey conducted by the U.S Conferences of Mayors, showed mental illness the third largest cause of homelessness in the United States (The United States Conference of Mayors, 2006). Mental illnesses can be biological and medical conditions which affect the normal activity of the human brain and mind. It often affects one’s moods, emotions as well as the thought processes. The functionality of the mind is diminished hence reducing their ability of the affected individuals to take care of themselves or their living environment hence may not care even if they are living in the streets (Nielsen, 2011). Mental illness also affects an individual’s ability to make and maintain friendship and relationships and therefore, issues involving mental illness can push those closer to the affected individual away. In such case the people closer may remain homeless by keeping away or they may dispose the affected individual to be homeless in the streets (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009). The other biological factor leading to homelessness is depression. Depressive disorders have been proved to be the most common factor causing homelessness with nearly 25% of homeless individuals suffering from depression. It controls individual’s outlook on life and their ability to judge circumstances. It results to low self-esteem, a loss of interest in actions that were once important as well as incapacitating effect on people’s ability to relate to others (Nielsen, 2011). Depression can be trigger homelessness because one feels isolated and lonely being homeless (Ravenhill, 2008). The feelings of isolation and loneliness have adverse effects on the relationship and could trigger rooflessness, for example, parental neglect (Ravenhill, 2008) Identify and describe at least 2 social factors that may be related to becoming or being homeless. Talk about how these factors may play a role in homelessness and support your statements with research evidence, where necessary Social factor that can cause homelessness is economic insecurity in a community or family. According to statistical findings, in the year 2005, almost 60% of individuals earning an income of less than 30% of the HUD were paying more than half of their salary on housing and accommodation, and almost the same percentage of people were also living in poor and inadequate housing (Ravenhill, 2008). Inadequate affordable housing for rental and the high economic recession have contributed to the increasing number of homeless adults and children. Economic recession have led to the high number of unemployed and has also increased laying off of employees hence people cannot afford decent housing due to lack of the rental allowance. Violence at home is another social factor that has led to homelessness in the United States of America. Violence often predicts whether children and adults would experience homelessness or not. Research has shown that most homeless mothers with children have at one point in their families experienced domestic violence. Domestic violence may make somebody run away from home to safety and in the process the affected find themselves homeless in the streets. This social factor has mostly affected women and children. Women and children in homeless shelters and those affected by domestic violence shelters are affected by same experiences like exposure to traumatic lives. Intimate family violence often triggers housing instability and in the process, one partner may run away from home. The domestic violence can be brutal beating or sexual abuse to a partner or a child (Ravenhill, 2008). In solving the problem of homelessness, the government should increase housing subsidies and provide permanent accommodation for those people living in domestic violence affected families, and unaccompanied youths. Research has shown that families who get housing subsidies are likely to have permanent housing stability than those who do not receive housing subsidy (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2008). Reference Nielsen, S. (2011). Psychiatric disorders and mortality among people in homeless shelters in Denmark: a nationwide register-based cohort study. The Lancet, 377, 2205-2214. Ravenhill, M. (2008). The culture of homelessness. Abingdon, Oxon: Ashgate Publishing Group. The United States Conference of Mayors. (2006). A status report on hunger and homelessness in America’s cities. Retrieved April 27, 2014 from http://www.usmayors.org/publicationsNational Coalition for the Homeless. (2008). How many people experience homelessness? Retrieved April 27, 2014 from http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/families Source document

Globalization in My Community

Globalization can be described in a number of different ways; it can describe the empowerment of decision making of dominant nations at the expense of less powerful nations, it can be defined as a force for economic growth prosperity and democratic freedom; but most notably it’s the integration of economic, political, and cultural systems across the globe. Globalization involves the movement of people, goods, ideas and information throughout the world.It is known to be the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa (Gibbens’ Globalization). In other words it’s a global domino effect of social, economical, governmental and communicative processes; for example a hotdog restaurant chain from the U. S. can be introduced to China, because of the unhealthy ingredients in their food this lead to an increase in obesity throughout their nation affecting their workforce.Due to the increase in health risk manufactures in China began to decline in production affecting other nations including the U. S. This is just one example of globalization, but the effects aren’t always negative their can also be positive influences as well but the outcomes can be rather unpredictable. Although relations between two trading nations can be mutually beneficial and positive it can still have a negative effect to another nation’s economy, culture, and/or commerce or vice versa.Globalization has helped shape the world to what it is now, a global chain of fast paced technological advancements devised and shared to improve multiple processes, lifestyles and livelihoods. My community is comprised of many ethnicities and multi-cultural backgrounds, I’m relatively new to the area but from what I have seen thus far showcases an incredible amount of potential for growth and employment. I’m formally a New Yorker who has fo und a new life in what’s known as the DMV (DC, Maryland, and Virginia).This area is driven predominately behind government contractual funding which is stimulating the economy and making it one of the most prosperous areas to earn a living. With global occurrences such as the war on terror, U. S. global interest, aiding foreign alliances and military expeditions it isn’t hard to conclude why this predominant military area is influenced by the amount of activity and funding that is developing this areas prosperity. I work as a government contractor for one of the agencies servicing the Department of Defense, having inside visibility sheds light on how the U. S. spends American tax dollars.When there is global situation whether it’s the deployment of a military task force, or responding to a global disaster, or political indifferences with other nations it results in America responding by either starting a government project or increasing the amount of activity fo r a current project to take action, aid and counter expected negative outcomes. This results in the government allocating millions of dollars and contracting the work out to government contractors such as Lockheed Martin or Northrop Grumman who then seeks qualified individuals to perform the duties and tasks required.This type of domino effect has improved the job market, quality of life, promoted growth, and has made this area virtually recession proof for individuals who possess the desired skill set. Nursing, finance/ accounting, security, business, engineering, logistics, and of course information technology are just some examples of specific desired skill set’s that has emerged during a starving recessed nation. A series of chain of events began to occur, home development projects in what use to be low income areas began to grow, construction improvement efforts went underway expanding roads to improve traffic flow, and businesses began to flourish.Recently this chain of event began a small migration of neighboring states along the east coast to seek better opportunities here in the DMV. According to the Census bureau Northern Virginia has reported an increase in population totaling 2. 62 million in 2010 which is a difference of 2. 12 million reported in 2000 (CRA Census Series). That’s a 23. 9 percent increase over a decade in just one section of the state; the state itself experienced a 54. 9 percent increase overall.Most notably Loudon county of Virginia reported the most significant increase, in 2000 the population was at 169,599 and in 2010 it more than doubled that number reaching 312,311; this reflects more than an 84 percent increase. These numbers are staggering but cannot be blamed all on the migration of neighboring states; there has also been a significant increase of undocumented and legal immigrant Hispanic presence that makes up much the figures presented above. Virginia is home to a large percent of immigrants who have come h ere due to natural and man-made isasters that have occurred in their former country and because of that they have received or are eligible for legal status through Temporary Protected Status (The Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce). Multinational corporation Nicholas Georgantzas, Giddens’ Globalization: Exploring Dynamic Implications, Fordham University, School of Business http://www. setav. org/ups/dosya/15100. pdf http://www. vahcc. com/? page=legislative_committe http://policy-cra. gmu. edu/census/Population%20Change%20in%20Northern%20Virginia. pdf